People may not realize the impact The Band had. They were 'the band' for various front men including Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan before they released Music from Big Pink in 1968. They were very influential on George Harrison and on Eric Clapton's decision to leave Cream. They both wanted to create a more roots oriented music that integrated blues, folk, R&B, gospel, and soul.

Levon is by far my favorite drummer, he's one of the most creative users of the drum set ive ever heard. here is an instructional video of his which (even though its short) i really have taken to heart. The idea of just putting the tape on your drum heads to kindof muffle them down works so well for how i want my drums to sound.